Lint remover



L. M. TIMMS LINT REMOVER June 25, 1968 Filed Oct. 28, 1966 INVENTOR LON M. TIM wfiafl flrfo I QBCL United States Patent 3,389,416 LINT REMOVER Leon M. Timms, 636 Amherst Drive, Burbank, Calif. 91504 Filed Oct. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 590,321 Claims. (Cl. -104) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A lint remover formed of two superimposed strips of paper or other sheet material secured in a condition forming a loop into which the fingers of a user may be inserted, with the outer strip of paper being removable from the inner strip to expose adhesive thereon which can then be brought in contact with a garment or the like to remove lint from the garment. Preferably, the two strips of paper have edges at corresponding first ends of these strips which are received between two edges formed at the opposite ends of the strips, in a manner adhesively securing the strips in the desired loop form, and leaving an end of the outer strip free of contact with any of the adhesive to serve as a pull tab for removing the outer strip from the inner strip.

This invention relates to improved disposable units for removing lint, dust particles, or the like from a garment or other item to be cleaned. Certain preferred methods and apparatus for manufacturing the present units are disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application Ser. No. 590,923, filed Oct. 31, 1966 on Methods and Apparatus for Forming Lint Removers or the Like.

There have heretofore been proposed lint removing devices which have had exposed surfaces carrying a pressure sensitive adhesive material, to which lint or the like will adhere when the adhesive is brought into contact with the area to be cleaned. These devices as previously proposed, however, have had certain disadvantages which have limited their use. Specifically, some such devices have been inherently very limited as to the size of the adhesive area which could practically be exposed for contact with the item to be cleaned, and therefore have been very limited as to the amount of lint which could be effectively removed by the device. Others of the prior arrangements have been more expensive or complicated to produce than would be desired, and in many instances have been sufficiently bulky or cumbersome to prevent their being carried by a user in a pocket or purse, as is desirable for maximum practicability.

A major object of the present invention is to provide an improved lint remover of the discussed general type which is so constructed as to be extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and yet which will provide a very large adhesive area for attaining a maximum cleaning action. As will appear, the simplicity and inexpensiveness of the unit are such as to render it completely practical for one time use and immediate disposal. Further, the entire unit may be reduced to a thin sheet-like form, so that a number of the units may be carried by a person when travelling or on other occasions, and will occupy very little space.

To attain these results, I form the unit of an appropriate sheet material, desirably paper, shaped to define a closed loop into which the fingers of a user may be inserted to hold the loop on the hand. This loop then forms two layers of the sheet material extending across the front and back sides respectively of the fingers. To both of these layers I apply coatings of the lint pick-up adhesive, so that these adhesive surfaces face in both of two opposite directions away from the loop and the con- 3,389,416 Patented June 25, 1968 tained fingers. Over each of these oppositely facing adhesive surfaces there is applied an additional layer of sheet material, also typically paper, for initially protecting the adhesive against contact with other objects during handling prior to use, but with this additional sheet material being adapted to be stripped from the adhesive to expose it for use in cleaning a garment or other item.

It is preferred that the adhesive carrying sheet material be freely flexible, in a manner enabling the closed or endless loop to be rolled along the surface of a garment or other item to be cleaned, and about the hand of the user, for thus permitting cleaning of an extended area with a single motion of the hand. The provision of adhesive on both sides of the loop, as discussed above, assures continuous adhesive traction between the rolling loop and the garment, so that as the users hand is moved laterally this traction will require and cause the desired rolling motion of the loop. Alternatively, a user may simply brush or pat the adhesive surfaces into contact with the garment. In either event, however, the provision of adhesive on both sides of the loop has the very decided advantage of maximizing the lint pick-up capacity of the device, in addition to enabling the discussed rolling type of cleaning action.

For maximum simplicity, the adhesive carrying loop may be formed of a single continuous strip of sheet material, having its opposite ends adhered together to form the closed loop. Similarly, the outer protective sheet may be a correspondingly one piece single continuous strip of material overlying the first strip, and adapted to be pulled therefrom. The two strips may have their ends secured together in a manner forming a pull tab at the end of the outer sheet, by which it may be stripped from the inner layer of material and the carried adhesive. In one form of the invention, the strips are so formed that their interconnected ends and the resulting pull tab extend diagonally with respect to the loop.

The above and other features and objects of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the typical embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first form of lint remover constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the FIG. 1 device;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view taken on line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the unit after removal of the outer protective sheet from the adhesive; 7

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing a variational form of the invention; and

FIG. 6 shows a series of the FIG. 1 devices provided in roll form.

Referring first to FIGS. 2 and 3, I have illustrated at 10 in these figures a lint remover device constructed in accordance with the invention, in the condition in which the device is carried prior to use. This lint remover includes a first sheet or strip 11 of an appropriate sheet material, such as a suitable flexible paper, or if preferred a flexible sheet of resinous plastic or other flexible material, such as vinyl film or the like. Sheet 11 is of elongated rectangular configuration, having a first end edge 12 extending along the line designated 13 in FIG. 2, and having also a second end edge 14 extending along the line 15 in FIG. 2. From edge 12, the sheet 11 extends leftwardly at 20 in FIG. 3 to the location of a return bend vor fold 16, at which sheet 11 is folded through degrees to return rightwardly at 17 (FIG. 3) to the location of a second fold or 180 degree return bend 18, from which sheet 11 returns leftwardly at 19 to edge 14. The outer surface of this entire strip of sheet material 11 is coated continuously across its entire area with an adhesive material 21, which thus covers the entire upper surfaces of portions 19 and of sheet 11, and the entire under surface of portion 17 of sheet 11. At the locations of edges 12 and 14 of sheet 11, these two end edges overlap one another in the manner brought out in FIG. 3, so that the under surface of an edge portion of portion 19 of sheet 11, adjacent edge 14, is adhered tightly to the adhesive provided at the upper surface of portion 20 of sheet 11 adjacent edge 12. Thus, sheet 11 forms a continuous loop, into which the hand of a user may be inserted as illustrated in FIG. 1.

The upper and lower edges 22 and 23 of sheet 11, as viewed in FIG. 2, desirably extend parallel to one another and perpendicular to the edges 12 and 14, and to the creases or folds 16 and 18.

For initially protecting the adhesive 21 against contact with foreign objects, there is provided at the outer side of the adhesive a second sheet 24 of flexible material, desirably formed of paper, but which may also if desired be formed of a resinous plastic film or the like, as mentioned in connection with sheet 11. Protective sheet 24 may have the same elongated rectangular configuration discussed in connection with sheet 11, and may be substantially exactly coextensive in all respects with sheet 11, and overlie that sheet and its adhesive over the entire area of sheet 11. More specifically, sheet 24 may have a first edge 25 which is parallel to and directly above and adjacent edge 14 of sheet 11 (FIG. 3). From this edge 25, sheet 24 extends rightwardly at 26, to a 180 degree crease or fold 27, then leftwardly at 28 to a second crease or fold 29, and then rightwardly at 30 to an edge 31 which is parallel to and directly above edge 12 of sheet 11. Also, sheet 24 may have edges paralleling and received directly adjacent edges 22 and 23 of sheet 11.

Sheet 24 is continuously adhered to the adhesive material 21 over its entire area, except at the location of an edge portion 32 of sheet 24, adjacent the extremity or edge 31 of that sheet. As will be apparent from FIG. 3, this edge portion 32 of sheet 24 is separated from the corresponding edge portion 33 of sheet 11 by the reception therebetween of the opposite end edges of portions 19 and 26 of sheets 11 and 24. Thus, portion 32 of sheet 24 forms a pull tab, which is free to be grasped by a user for stripping sheet 24 from sheet 11.

In using the unit of FIGS. 1 to 4, a person may first insert the fingers of one of his hands into the interior of the continuous or endless loop formed within and by sheet 11, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Next, the user may grasp pull tab portion 32 of sheet 24 with his other hand, and by pulling on this tab may strip the entire sheet 24 off of sheet 11, leaving the adhesive 21 continuously exposed about the outside of the loop. The adhesive 21 may then be brought into contact with a surface 34 of a garment or other item 35 to be cleaned (FIG. 4), either by a brushing motion, a patting motion, or the rolling motion illustrated in FIG. 4. More particularly, that rolling motion is attained by simply placing the under surface of the continuous loop in contact with item 35, and then moving the users hand and therefore the loop about the hand rightwardly or leftwardly. If the motion is in a rightward direction, as assumed in FIG. 4, the traction between the lower run of the loop and surface 34 of garment 35, which traction results from the contact of the adhesive of that run with surface 34, will prevent that lower run from moving rightwardly, while the upper run does move rightwardly, and with the end portions 36 and 37 advancing downwardly and upwardly respectively, so that in effect the entire loop and its carried adhesive advances continuously about the hand, and rolls along surface 34, as indicated by the arrows 38 of FIG. 4. In this way, an extended area can be cleaned with a single motion of the hand, and with the entire adhesive surface 21 being utilized in the cleaning action. The flexibility of the sheet material 11 is sufficiently great to enable this rolling action.

FIG. 5 shows a variational form of the invention which may be considered as identical with that of FIGS. 1 to 4 except that the edges 12a and 310, corresponding to edges 12 and 31 of FIGS. 1 to 4, and also the edges 14a and 25a, corresponding to edges 14 and 25 of the first form of the invention, all extend diagonally with respect to the axis 39 of the continuous loop. Stated differently, these various edges 12a, 31a, 14a and 25a extend at an oblique angle to the folds or creases 16a, 29a, 18a and 27a, as well as to edges 22a and 23a. As in the first form of the invention, there are of course two strips of the material corresponding to strips 11 and 24 of FIG. 3, and having adhesive 21 of FIG. 3 applied to strip 11. Also, the outer of these strips of course forms a pull tab at the location 32a corresponding to tab 32 of FIG. 3.

The adhesive material 21 employed in both forms of the invention is desirably a waterproof pressure sensitive type of adhesive, which is permanently tacky and adapted to adhere to lint and the like, as well as to the inner surface of protective sheet 24, upon contact therewith. As an example, a suitable latex base waterproof pressure sensitive adhesive may be employed, preferably consisting of crude natural rubber and/or synthetic rubber combined with suitable resins for increasing the natural tackiness of the elastomer, and typically also including other additives such as plasticizers, fillers and the like in proportions giving to the ultimate combination the desired permanently and aggressively tacky characteristics.

For coaction with this adhesive material, the inner surface of sheet 24 which contacts adhesive 21 should be treated to function as a release surface, which will adhere sufiiciently to the adhesive to maintain sheet 24 in its assembled form during handling, but which can be easily stripped from the adhesive without damaging the adhesive or removing it from sheet 11, and without damaging sheet 24. For this purpose, the inner surface of sheet 24 may be continuously coated across its entire area with a silicone or other known release agent.

FIG. 6 shows the manner in which a series of the units 10 of FIG. 1 may initially be provided in the form of a roll 40 of such units. In this roll, all of the sheets 11 of the successive units 10 may actually consist of successive portions of a single elongated strip of sheet material, and similarly all of the sheets 24 of the successive units may be portions of a single continuous strip of material, with these two strips being perforated along transverse lines 41 for tearing off the successive units 10.

I claim:

1. A lint remover comprising a first continuous strip of sheet material folded to form a closed endless loop into which a users fingers may he slipped so that the loop forms two layers of sheet material extending across the front and rear sides respectively of said fingers, a coating of pressure sensitive adhesive on the outer surface of said first strip of sheet material and facing outwardly away from said layers and away from said fingers at both sides of the loop, said first strip having two end edge portions which are received in overlapping relation and are secured together by said adhesive to retain the strip in loop form, a second continuous strip of sheet material extending along the outer side of said first strip about said loop and adhered to vand covering said adhesive at both sides of the loop to protect it and adapted to be stripped from the adhesive to expose it for removal of lint from a garment or the like, said loop and the second strip thereon being folded to a substantially flat condition but being openable to a less flat condition for reception of said fingers, said second continuous strip having two edge portions at opposite ends thereof which are received near one another at approximately the same point about said loop as said overlapping edge portions of the first strip and one of which is free of contact with said adhesive to form a readily accessible pull tab by which said second strip may be pulled from the first strip entirely about the loop in a single operation.

2. A lint remover as recited in claim 1, in which said edge portions of the second strip overlie said edge portions of the first strip in one position of said tab.

3. A lint remover as recited in claim 1, in which said second strip is substantially coextensive with said first strip in all directions, and said edge portions of the second strip substantially directly overlie corresponding ones of said edge portions of the first strip respectively.

4. A lint remover as recited in claim 1, in which said edge portions of the second strip overlap one another so that one of said edge portions is adhered to said adhesive and the other overlies said one edge portion and forms said tab.

5. A lint remover as recited in claim 1, including a series of said lint removers formed of different portions of two elongated strips of sheet material Wound in roll form and separable along predetermined tear lines.

6. A lint remover as recited in claim 1, in which said first strip forming the loop is sufiiciently flexible to enable the loop to be rolled along a surface which is to be cleaned and about said fingers.

7. A lint remover as recited in claim 1, in which said edge portions of both strips extend diagonally with respect to said loop.

3. A lint remover as recited in claim 1, in which said edge portions of the two strips at first corresponding ends thereof are received between and separate the edge portions of the two strips formed at their opposite ends when the tab is in one position in which it can be received.

9. A lint remover comprising sheet material forming a closed loop into which a users fingers may be slipped, a coating of pressure sensitive adhesive on the outer surface of said sheet material which forms the loop, a eontinuous outer strip of sheet material extending along the outer side of said first mentioned sheet material entirely about said loop and adhered to and covering said adhesive to protect it and adapted to be stripped from the adhesive to expose it for removal of lint from a garment or the like, said first mentioned sheet material and said outer strip having first end portions at corresponding first ends thereof and having second end portions at opposite ends thereof, three of said end portions being adhered together by said adhesive in a three layer laminated series in which said first mentioned sheet material has its second end portion overlying its first end portion, in contact with the adhesive thereon, and the second end portion of said outer strip then overlies said second end portion of the first mentioned sheet material in contact with the adhesive thereon, the first end portion of said outer strip being free of direct contact with said adhesive and forming a pull tab fior removal of the outer strip from the loop by a single operation.

10. A lint remover comprising sheet material forming a closed loop into which a users fingers may be slipped, acoating of pressure sensitive adhesive on the outer surface of said sheet material which forms the loop, a con tinuous outer strip of sheet material extending along the outer side of said first mentioned sheet material entirely about said loop and adhered to and covering said adhesive to protect it and adapted to be stripped from the adhesive to expose it for removal of lint from a garment or the like, said first mentioned sheet material and said outer strip having first end portions at corresponding first ends thereof and having second end portions at opposite ends thereof, said second end portion of said outer strip forming a pull tab which is free of direct attachment to said adhesive and is accessible for pulling the outer strip from the adhesive, and said first edge portions of both the first mentioned sheet material and outer strip being received between said second edge portions of the first mentioned strip and outer strip, when said tab is in one position in which it can be received.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,507,626 5/1950 Ekstrand 229-872 XR 2,755,494 7/ 1956 Bredin. 2,913,745 11/ 1959' Welvang. 3,029,453 4/ 1962 Norman. 3,040,352 6/1962 Vian. 3,082,453 3/1963 Mutchler et al. 3,176,338 4/1965 Hornburger l5-227 XR 3,299,461 1/1967 Marks. 3,329,985 7/1967 Glowacki.

FOREIGN PATENTS 891,740 3/1962 Great Britain.

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner. 

